Hair-spring collet for watches



No. 6l7,30|. Patented 1an. 3, |899. C. TESKE.

HAIR SPRING COLLET FOR WATCHES.

(Application filed June 10, 1898.)

(N0 Mndelf) Invenzi'or Chles. Tes/Fe,

,g 72155' Ww/zeg l iff UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES TESKE, OF HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT.

HAIR-SPRING COLLET FOR WATCHES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 617,301, dated January 8, 1899.

Application filed .Tune l0, 1898. Serial No. 683,104. (No inodelfl To @ZZ whom, it may concern,.-

Be it known that I, CHARLES TESKE, a citizen of the United States, residing in Hartford, in the county of Hartford and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Means for Securing Hair- Springs in lVatches, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to watches, and more especially to means for securing the hairspring in such a manner that it can be read ily removed without injury to itself or to the balance-wheel.

In the common method of securing hairsprings one end ot' the spring is attached to a split collet, which is forced over the shoulder of the balance-staff, and when it is desired to remove said spring for cleaning or other purposes it is necessary to insert a tool under the colletto force the latter from the shoulder, and in doing so the collet and the hair-spring are apt to be distorted or broken and frequently the balance-wheel is injured, especially when the latter is used as a fulcrum for the tool employed in prying oil the collet. By my improvements, however, these disadvantages are entirely overcome, as the collet, to which the spring is connected, can easily be removed without danger of in j uring either ot said parts or the balance-wheel.

My invention includes as one of its essential features the combination, with a balancewheel and with a hair-spring, of a carrier for the hair-spring detachably mounted upon said balance-wheel.

The carrier for the hair-spring consists in the present case oi a collet which loosely iits over the statt or spindle of the balancewheel, so that the collet can be lifted from the same, and a base-piece or iiange which is held in a recess in the arm of the balancewheel, said base-piece being detachably secured, preferably by one or more screws the heads of which are beveled and are adapted to ht against the opposite and correspondingly-beveled edges of the base-piece. By this construction when it is necessary to remove ;the hair-spring the screws are withdrawn, and the carrier can be lifted from place, or the watch can be inverted to permit said carrier to drop from. the balance-wheel spindle.

The collet to which the hair-spring is secured is preferably so mounted that the hairspring may be adjusted by manipulating` said colletin case the watch should notloe in proper beat.77

In the drawings accompanying and forming part ot this specification, Figure lis a plan view, of the balance-wheel of a watch provided with my improvement, the hairspring being omitted. Fig. 2 is a central transverse sectional view taken in the line a, Fig. l, showing` the hair-spring in place. Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view ot-the hairspring carrier. Figs. 4, 5, and 6 are views of modiications cf the hair-spring carrier. All of the figures are drawn to an enlarged scale.

Similar characters designate like parts in all the figures of the drawings.

In Figs. l, 2, and 3 l have illustrated my invention in the preferred form thereof, and have shown it in the two first-mentioned iigures in connection with a watch balancewheel B of ordinaryconstruction, the arm or cross-bar of which is designated by 2, and the stali. or spindle by 3.

The hair-spring carrier is designated. in all the figures by C.

In Figs. 3 and 5 the collet is illustrated as made separate from the base-piece and as secured to the latter by burnishing or spinning its lower reduced portion into the socket in said base-piece, as shown at 4', and by virtue of this construction the collet may be turned, il necessary, to bring the spring to the desired adjustment should the watch be out of beat. In this form of the invention the base-piece consists of an elongated plate which is detachably iitted in the recess G in the arm 2, said recess being of such depth that the two parts will be substantially flush, as represented in Fig. 2, and is held in place by the screws 7 and 8, which are countersunk into the arm 2 and the heads of which are beveled to correspond with and to fit against the opposite beveled edges 5 and 5 ofthe base 5. It is not essential, however, that the hair-spring carrier should be formed in two pieces, nor that the collet should be rotatively supported by the base-piece.

In Fig. I have illustrated a modilication of the invention wherein the collet and circular base-piece are rigid with each other,

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and in this case the necessary adjustment of the hair-spring maybe obtained by loosening the screws and turning the base-piece 5 in its seat in the cross-arm 2. In this construction the edge or periphery of the base-piece is beveled to conform to the shape of the screwheads', and when the necessary adjustment is obtained the screws 7 and S are tightened to hold the carrier in place.

ln Fig. 5 another modiiication of the carrier is illustrated in which the opposite ends of the base-piece are slotted, as at 9 and 9', to receive the holding-screws, and the slots are arc-shaped and their upper walls beveled, as at l0 and lO, at an angle to correspond with that of the heads of said screws. The slots are formed upon an arc struck from the axis of the collet, so that the carrier can be freely turned until the ends of the slots leave the screws, when it may be removed from its seat, and the opposite ends l5 of the basepiece are similarly curved to fit the end walls of the recess in the arm. ln this form of the invention the collet is to be secured in place in the manner represented by Fig. 3, so that an independent adjustment of the same may be obtained, if desired.

To insert the carrier shown in Fig. 5, it is placed in the recess or seat 6 in the crossarm 2 of the balance until the open ends of the slots are in line with the heads of the screws, which have previously been loosened, and subsequently the screws are tightened to hold the same in place.

In Fig. 6 another modification of the device is illustrated in which the base-piece 5 is shown rigid with the collet and is of circular form, said base-piece having arc-shaped slots l2 and l2", each of which is enlarged at one end, as at 13 and 13', to receive the heads of the holding-screws 7 and 8 and permit the collet to be lifted from its seat and off said screws when desired. In this form of the invention the walls of the slots are beveled, as at 1l and ll', to permit the screw-heads to lie Hush with the top surface of the basepiece. In said modification (illustrated in Fig. 6) the edge of the base-piece need not be beveled, but should be curved, the curve being struck from the axis of the collet, so that the device as a Whole can be turned freely in its seat in the arm for the purpose of adjustment.

Although screws are preferably employed for holding the hair-spring carrier in place, it is obvious that other means may be substituted therefor. The hair-spring carrier may also be secured to the balance in other ways without departing from my invention.

llaving described my invention, l claiml. The combination, with a balance-wheel having an arm, of a hair-spring carrier consisting of a collet loosely applied to the statt of the balance and provided with a basepiece; and means for detachably securing said base-piece to the arm.

il. The combination, with a balance-wheel having an arm equipped with a recess, of ahair-spring carrier consisting of a collet directly applied to the staff of the balancevith a loose iit thereon, and a base-piece on which said collet is movably mounted, detachably secured to the arm and fitted in said recess.

3. The combination, with a balance-wheel having an arm, of a hair-spring carrier consisting of a collet, to which said spring is secured, and a base-piece, the collet being rotatively secured in the base-piece, and means for detachably securing the carrier to said Ztllll.

et. The combination, with a balance-wheel having an arm, of a staff or spindle; a hairspring carrier loosely iitted over the stall or spindle; a base-piece detachably mounted upon said arm; and screws for securing the base-piece to the arm.

5. The combination with a balance-wheel having a recessed arm, of a base-piece having slots, means passing through the slots for detachably securing the base-piece in the recess of the arm, and a hair-spring carrier mounted on the base-piece and loosely iitted over the staff of the balance.

(i. A hair-sprin g carrier for tim epieces, consisting of a collet and a base-piece having an aperture in which said collet is movably mounted.

7. A hair-spring carrier for timepieces, consisting of a base-piece having an aperture, and a collet located in said aperture and adapted to be turned to adjust the spring.

CHARLES TESKE.

Witnesses:

HEATH SUTHERLAND, Wir. H. BLoDeE'r'r.

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